Apple celling and slicing machine



Feb. 7, 1950 J. w. PEASE 2,496,637

APPLE CELLING AND SLICING MACHINE Filed Jan. 19, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb 3 1950 J. w. PEASE 2y4963 7 APPLE CELLING AND SLICING MACHINE Filed Jan. l9, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

CKYZUY/W accasea Patented Feb. 7, 1955 Alarm GELLING AND SLICING MACHINE- I John: Pease, deceased, late of Rochester, N. Y., 1 v by Winnifred N. Pea se, executrix, Rochester,

Application-January 19, 1948. Serial No.3,124

The present invention relates to machines for seed-celling and slicing apples and similar fruits.

In the preparation of apples for cooking, canning and drying it is customary practice to first pare and core the apples.

chine for removal of theseeds and: seed cells and for quartering the'apples or dividing theminto lesser divisions. In conventional seed-celling and slicing machines, the apples are dropped over a rotating spindle and guided by their cored holes Then the apples are fed into a combined seed-celling. and slicing ma- 2 Claims. (01.146-40) to the slicing blades. Eachapple is seated against the slicing blades and is heldagainstrotation by these blades in a partiallysevered condition while the seed cells are being removed. The

'celling is effected by a rotary celling' knife which is secured to the rotating spindle and which operates approximately at the axial center .of the core of the apple. After celling, each apple is pushed-through the slicing blades; and thus the operation of the machine is completed.

The slicing blades only enter intov an apple prior to the seedolling operation but even this partial entrance slightly weakens'the apple and may result in the apple being split-prematurely under the slightly expanding pressure of the cell ing knife'at itscenter. 'This-is particularly 'the case if the appl'eliappens to beunusually soft and mellow. If the-apple'is split prematurely it is broken up into a lot'of unusable fragments.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved slicing unit which will not only prevent an applefrom rotating-during ceiling but which will also hold the apple against the possi bility of fragments or pieces of the apple sliding outwardly longitudinally of the sliding blades before the apple is completely severed, so that tendency toward disintegratingexpansion of the apple is obviated, and the slicing operation may be accurately comp'leted'after decelling;

Another obj ectof the inventionis to provide an improved slicing fixture for amaehine of the character described in which the holding means is in the form of auxiliary slicing blades integral with or rigidly secured to the main slicing blades.

Other objects of the invention will beapparent hereinafter from the specification and from the recital of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side view of a seedcelling and slicing machine constructed according to one embodiment of this invention;

,Fig. 2 is a central vertical section on a greatly enlarged scale of'the slicing spider or fixture of this machine;

' Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2: but showing a more complete assembly of the machine including the feedsp-indle and-seed-celling t me and showing an apple in the process of being celled; Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4 a of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows; a

Fig. 5 is another central vertical sectional view of the slicing spider but taken in the plane of a different pair of blades from the plane of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the spider and its mounting;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view like Fig.6 but showing anapple in seed-celling position and in horizontal section;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the major knife blades and of its auxiliary blade; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective viewof one of the aux-- v iliary blades.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference, i denotes the frame work of the machine which is supported by legs 2 (broken away). Supported on the'frame in a horizontal position is a mounting member 5 which is secured to the frame work by bolts 4' (Figs. 1 and 6). This mounting member has a. central opening and secured within this central opening by lugs 6 and v bolts 6' is a slicing spider 5. This spider is pro-, vided with two sets of slicing blades, the individual blades of eachset being denoted at 3 and 1, respectively. The blades 1 are more steeply inclined than the blades .3 and have their upper cutting surfaces above the cutting surfaces of the blades 3. All ofthe blades are arranged radially and are inclined downwardly; and their lower ends are fixed to a stationary sleeve 8.

H denotes the central feed spindle of the machine. This spindle is provided with an enlarged portion at Ill which is formed at its lower end with a shoulder 9 that rests upon the upper end of the sleeve 8. The spindle turns in the sleeve 8 and may be driven, for instance, bythe bevel gearing l3 from any suitable source of power according to conventional practice.

The enlarged portion It of the spindle has a flat portion I? to which is secured the rigid seed celling knife 14 (Figs. sand 7) by screws 15. This knife projects laterally from the spindle ll just above the blades 1 and is semi-circular in form. It is narrower at the top than at the bot; tom and is inclined slightly upwardly in a direction opposite to that of the rotation of the spindle as disclosed moreparticularly in copending application Serial No. 3,125 filed January 19, 1948-. Thus, when a cored apple slides down on the spindle, the knife ht makes an imperceptible track or channel in thecore opening thereof without further mutilation of the apple despite the continuous rotationjof the spindle.

4 l6 denotes a vertically swinging arm or beam having a fork or'bifurcation l! at its free end. This arm is adapted. toibe'oscillated up and down by conventional means. This arm is provided to insure correct positioning of the apple, which is to be celled and sliced, with reference to the ceiling knife. The cored apple drops by gravity below with the aid of deflectors 18. The same over the rotating celling knife l4 and upon the stroke places the apple Bin seed- -celling position, slicing knives l, and the said arm l6 and fork and so the operation of the machine proceeds.

I? have an amplitude of movement that carries While the invention has been described in con the apple down to the precise position shown in nection with a particular embodiment thereof, it Figs. 1 and 3 with the apple centered .with referwill be understood that it is capable of further ence to the celling knife and positively forced into; modification and this application is intended to engagement with the slicing blades i. The concover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the figurations and position of the two sets of blades" invention following, in general, the principles of 3 and 1, as shown, are relatively such that the 10' the invention and including such departures from apple lodges upon and is partly entered by the the present disclosure as come within known or blades 1 when brought to rest but does not 0011-. customary practice in the art to which the intact the lowermost blades 3. This locks the apple vention pertains and as may be applied to the against the tendency to rotate under influence of essential features hereinbefore set forth and as the celling knife 14 yet does not weaken the apple 15 fall within the scope of the invention or the limits materially as would be the case were all of the of the appended claims.

blades to enter the apple at once. The upper Having thus described the invention, what is portion of the apple remains solid except for the claimed is:

core hole. 1. In an apple slicing machine, the combina- In Figs. 3 and 7, the seeds and cells of the fruit tion with a vertically disposed rotary spindle, are rather conventionally shown at C while the means for rotating the spindle, and means for circle or kerf out by the rotary seed-ceiling blade thrusting a cored apple down the spindle, of a 14 is indicated at K in the latter figure. slicing spider concentric with said spindle and When the apple happens to be soft and mellow, comprising a plurality of thin blades which are v n the sli ht entry of the blad s 1 int it m y. disposed radially of the spindle, and auxiliary however, weaken its structure sufficiently for it blades mounted on'the radial blades to extend 1105191113 prematurely under the S y expanding axially of the spindle and to project laterally pressure of the ceiling knife M as that knife rofrom opposite sides of the radial blades less than tales in engagement W i To counteract this, the distances between adjacent radial blades to there is provided by the present invention means hold an apple against expanding disintegration for resisting any such movement and for mainof the partially-severed apple when the apple taining the fruit integral until the seed-celling is thrust down the spindle and through the operation is completed and until the downward spider.

slicing movement is completed. This means com- 2. In a seed-ceiling and slicing machine, the prises a plurality of thin Vertical auxiliary fi combination with a vertically disposed rotary blades I9 which are mounted on the radial blades s indle, and means for rotating said spindle, of a 1 to extend transversely thereof and to project seed-selling knife secured thereto, a slicing laterally therefrom Interlocking assembly of spider'mounted below said knife concentric with blades I9 on blades 1 is accomplished by forming said pindle, Said slicing spider cgmprising a mcomp eme a y ots 20 and 2| in t undersides rality of blades which are disposed radially of Of the radial b ad 1 and u p ends of the ellX- the spindle and upwardly inclined from the center iliary blades s Shown in Figs- 2 and 9, of said spindle outwardly, certain of said blades spectively. The smaller blades are introduced being inclined upwardly t a eate angle than upwardly from below so that the assembled blades t means for thrustmg a cored ap le down each grasp the other and .may be soldered, said spindle and against the blades which are of swedged or otherwise secured toge he greater upward inclination so that said blades blades [9 are preferably provided with cutting may hold t apple against, t ti during t edges back off on all four Sides as Shown. y seed-celling operation, auxiliary blades mounted are positioned to engage the apple appro ma e y on the more inclined blades intermediate the midway i y between the cellins knife l4 and ends of said more inclined blades to extend axially the p riph ry f the p of the spindle and to project laterally from said With these Simple auxiliary blades the apple 13 more inclined blades less than the distance beeffeetively Supported from Within and the tween adjacent-radial blades to hold the apple tential apple segments are preven from against expanding disintegration during the seedspreading prema r ly- These auxiliary blades celling operation, and means for actuating the are simple and inexpensive yet they perform the thrusting means, after completion of a 11 function of the more elaborate and uncertaimy ing operation to force the apple down the spindle acting supports or grasping elements which have through an of the blades of t spider heretofore been provided and which are arranged WINNIFRED N, PE'ASE, around or outside of the fruits or other articles Executm-x. of the Estate of John p in Process- Deceased. The upper limit of movement of the arm I6 is such that after an apple A has been seated on REFERENCES CITED blades 1 and the fork Withdraws sufficlenuy The following references are of record in the from its straddle of the spindle H to permit a following apple B to pass and to drop upon the me of bhls patent:

first apple A while the seed-celling operation is UNITED STATES PATENTS being completed upon the first apple, as shown Number Name Date in Fig. 1. whereupon the fork resumes its down- 1 399 950 Fish D 13, 1921 ward stroke and through the medium of the sec- 481 Pease Sept 4 1928 0nd apple B presses the first apple A through all 1:825:47) Musselman Sept 29 1931 'of the blades 3 and T of the slicing device sepa 2,229,168 Carroll at al Jan 21, 1941 rating the apple into a plurality of detached seg- 2 810 Heal July 1, 1941 ments that are suitably caught and deflected y I 

